Device for separating solids and other foreign bodies from liquids ina pipe conduit

ABSTRACT

A device for separating solids and other foreign bodies from liquids in a pipe conduit includes a screen mounted in the conduit which is conically tapered in the flow direction. A discharge tube for the separated solids, leading to the outside, is connected at the apex of the screen. A barrier is arranged on outer side of screen which extends perpendicularly to the surface of the screen between the individual rows of holes of the screen.

United States Patent 1 Ruthrof [451 July 24, 1973 DEVICE FOR SEPARATINGSOLIDS AND OTHER FOREIGN BODIES FROM LIQUIDS IN A PIPE CONDUIT [75Inventor: Klaus Ruthrof, Erlangen Germany [731 Assignee: SiemensAktiengesellschaft,

Berlin and Munich, Germany Filed: Dec. 22, 1971 Appl. No.: 210,784

U.S. CL, 210/409, 210/435, 210/446 Int. Cl B0111 35/02 Field of Search..l 209/273, 300, 305, 209/306, 380; 210/81, 313, 409, 410, 411, 412,427, 433, 435, 437, 438, 446

[56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,063,566 11/1962 Hanley210/446X 3/1929 Snider 210/448 X 1,843,242 2/1932 Rafton 210/4092,658,622 11/1953 Thornhill... 210/409 2,760,644 8/1956 Nelson 210/411 XPrimary Examiner-Samih N. Zahama Assistant Examiner-Robert H. SpitzerAttorney Arthur E. Wilfond, Herbert L. Lerner et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A device for separating solids and other foreign bodiesfrom liquids in a pipe conduit includes a screen mounted in the conduitwhich is conically tapered in the flow direction. A discharge tube forthe separated solids, leading to the outside, is connected at the apexof the screen. A barrier is arranged on outer side of screen whichextends perpendicularly to the surface of the screen between theindividual rows of holes of the screen.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS AND OTHERFOREIGN BODIES FROM LIQUIDS IN A PIPE CONDUIT The invention relates to adevice for separating solids and other foreign bodies from liquids in apipeline or pipe conduit. The device includes a screen mounted in thepipe conduit and is conically tapered in the flow direction. A dischargetube for the separated solids leading to the outside is connected at theapex of the conically tapered screen.

With a conically tapered screen of this type, through which the flowpasses from the inside to the outside, solids in the liquid to bepurified can be held back reliably and can be continuously dischargedthrough the discharge line at the apex of the screen, so that cloggingof the screen is avoided. However, difficulties with the discharge ofthe impurities are encountered if fibrous materials are carried along inthe liquid, which settle in the holes formed in the screen and arepartly taken along to the outer side of the screen. Cleaning of thescreen by the flow is often not possible here because these fibrousmaterials, which partly hang to the outside through the holes of thescreen, become tangled with each other on the outer side of the screenand can therefore not be pulled back inside the screen.

It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide a device forseparating solids and other foreign bodies in which clogging andentanglement of fibrous solids are largely avoided.

According to a feature of the invention, barrier means in the form offlange-like members are disposed on the outer side of the screen andextend perpendicularly to the surface of the screen between respectivemutually adjacent rows of the holes in a direction transverse to thedirection of flow. These barriers interrupt the direct connecting linebetween two consecutive rows of holes, so that the fibrous materials onthe outer side of the screen can no longer get entangled with eachother. It is thereby possible to pull back these fibrous materials tothe inner side of the screen by means of a suitable additional flow inthe interior of the screen and to thereby carry them reliably away.

It is advantageous if these barriers are helical and extend continuouslyover the entire length of the screen. The device of the invention alsoincludes means for discharging the foreign bodies separated from theliquid .and deposited on the screen.

In order to clean the screen, it is advisable that within the screen acirculating flow is generated, by which the fibrous materials and theother solids depositedon the inside of the screen are reliably flushedtoward the apex of the screen and are there carried away. The dischargemeans can comprise an adjustable throttle valve or flap disposed at theinlet end of the screen. The throttle valve is then used to block offthe entire pipe line. It is also p'ossible, however, that in the regionof the inlet to the screen to provide at least one inlet disposedtangentially to the conduit for admitting flushing liquid into theconduit.

Furthermore, for cleaning the screen, a throttle valve can be mountedbeyond the apex of the screen, whereby the main flow is largely shut offand the oncoming liquid alone is used for cleaning the screen.

In order to augment the cleaning action for the screen, it is a furtherfeature of the invention to provide a ring line or conduit disposed onthe outer surface of the screen and surrounding the screen in severalturns.

The ring conduit is equipped with corresponding nozzles for spraying aflushing liquid onto the surface of the screen. The separation of thesolids from the inside surface of the screen is thereby aided.

For the intermittent removal of the collected solids, it is furthermoreadvantageous to provide a throttle valve mounted in the discharge tubefor the separated solids.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as a devicefor separating solids and other foreign bodies from liquids in a pipeconduit, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the detailsshown, since various modifications may be made therein within the scopeand the range of the claims. The invention, however, together withadditional objects and advantages will be best understood from thefollowing description and in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 illustrates, partially in section, a longitudinal view of adevice separating solids according to the invention and equipped with ahelically extending barrier on the surface of the screen;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken through a portion of the screentaken along line II-Il of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the screenillustrating the barrier taken along line III- III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view, partially in section of a separatingdevice according to the invention equipped with an inlet disposedtangentially to the conduit for admitting flush water;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal view, partially in section, of a device forseparating solids from liquids having a conically tapered screen with aflush water ring line; and,

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal view, partially in section, through the screenin device of FIG. 5 taken along line VI-VI.

According to FIG. 1, a conically tapered screen 2 is received in thepipe conduit 1. A conduit 4 extends from the apex 3 and leads to theoutside for discharging the separated solids.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a barrier is arranged onthe outside of the screen 2 or side of the screen from which the liquidflows after foreign bodies have been lodged in the screen. The barrierextends helically and perpendicularly to the surface of the screen andtransversely to the direction of the main liquid flow. The cross-sectionaccording to FIG. 2 illustrates the holes 6 and a view of the barrier 5.The function of these barriers is further explained with refer ence toFIG. 3 wherein the barriers 5 are depicted disposed always between eachtwo mutually adjacent rows of holes 6, so that the direct connectionbetween the hole outlet on the outer side of the screen 2 is interrupted. Fibrous impurities 7, indicated schematically, have becomelodged in the holes 6 of the screen 2. Normally, these fibers 7 wouldget entangled with each other or form knots on the outer side of thescreen 2, so that it would not be possible to pull these fibers back tothe inner side of the screen. The barriers 5 prevent these fibers 7 frombecoming entangled with each other. i

For cleaning the screen, a throttle valve or flap 8 which is rotatableabout an axis, can be built into the conduit 1 ahead of the inlet of thescreen 2. If this throttle valve is setat an angle, a helical flow isgenerated in the region of the screen, whereby the foreign bodiesdeposited on the surface of the screen are reliably carried away and canbe discharged to the outside through the conduit 4 at the apex of thescreen. This cleaning action can take place continuously duringoperation or intermittently. For this purpose, there is arranged in thedischarge pipe conduit 4, additionally, a further throttle valve 9which, when adjusted to the inclined position, causes a spinning motionto be imparted to the entering liquid.

A further possibility for cleaning the screen is shown in FIG. 4. Here,a throttle valve 10 is built in the pipe line 1 beyond the screen properin downstream direction in order to substantially prevent the liquidfrom flowing out. In the region ahead of the screen 2, the pipe conduit1 has inlet means in the form of one or several tangential pipeconnections 11, through which a flushing liquid can be fed in. Thisflushing liquid then follows a helical path on the inner side of thescreen and thereby carries the impurities settled there to the outsidethrough the discharge connection 4.

To aid the cleaning, the screen can, however, also be sprayed from theoutside. For this purpose, a helical spray line 12 is arranged,according to FIG. 5, on the outer side of the screen 2 between theindividual barrier portions 5. The helical spray line or ring-likeconduit 12 has an inlet connector 13 and a flush water outlet connector14. Referring to FIG. 6, this spray line 12 has spray openings ornozzles 15 on the inner side through which a flush liquid can be sprayedonto the surface of the screen. Because of the helical flow, providedalso in this embodiment of the invention, for cleaning the screen on itsinner side and produced by throttle valves not shown in detail, orproduced by feeding in the flush water tangentially, a reliable cleaningof the screen also of fibrous substances is therefore assured by thespray of the flushing liquid.

It is therefore possible with the simple measures described, to use suchscreens to obtain a reliable separation of fibrous or flat solids andthereby largely avoid clogging of the screen by these foreign bodies.This means that these separating devices require practically nomaintenance, as they can be reliably cleaned either continuously duringthe separation process or intermittently, without opening the pipeconduit and reaching in from the outside.

What is claimed is:

1. Device for separating solids and other foreign bodies from a liquidin a pipe conduit, comprising a conically-shaped screen receivable in apipe conduit, said screen being formed with a plurality of rows ofholes, said screen being disposed in the conduit so that the surface ofsaid conically-shaped screen tapers downwardly in the direction of flowof a liquid through the conduit, said screen having an inlet opening atits upstream end in the flow direction for receiving liquid containingforeign bodies therein, so that at least a portion of the liquid passesthrough said holes of said screen leaving foreign bodies deposited onsaid screen, said screen having an outlet opening at its downstream end,means for discharging the foreign bodies separated from the liquid anddeposited on the screen, and barrier means disposed on the outer side ofsaid screen and extending perpendicularly to said screen betweenrespective mutually adjacent rows of the holes in a direction transverseto the direction of flow of the liquid.

2. Device of claim 1, said barrier means being a single flange-likemember extending helically over the entire length of said screen.

3. Device of claim 1, said discharge means comprising a throttle valverotatably mounted at said inlet opening of said screen, said valve beingrotatable so as to block the entire pipe conduit, and a dischargeconduit connected to said outlet opening of said screen for directingthe separated foreign bodies away from the pipe conduit.

4. Device of claim 1, said discharge means comprising a throttle valvemounted downstream beyond said outlet opening of said screen.

5. Device of claim 1, inlet means disposed tangentially to the conduitin the region of said inlet opening of said screen for admittingflushing liquid to said conduit for loosening foreign bodies lodged onsaid screen.

6. Device of claim 1, comprising a ring-like conduit for conductingflushing liquid therethrough disposed on the outer side of said screenand formed in several turns in surrounding relation to the surface ofsaid screen, and nozzles in said ring-like conduit for spraying theflushing liquid flowing through the latter onto said surface of saidscreen.

7. Device of claim 1, said discharge means comprising a dischargeconduit connected to said outlet opening of said screen for directingthe separated foreign bodies away from the pipe conduit.

8. Device of claim 7, said discharge means comprising a throttle valvemounted in said discharge conduit.

1. Device for separating solids and other foreign bodies from a liquidin a pipe conduit, comprising a conically-shaped screen receivable in apipe conduit, said screen being formed with a plurality of rows ofholes, said screen being disposed in the conduit so that the surface ofsaid conically-shaped screen tapers downwardly in the direction of flowof a liquid through the conduit, said screen having an inlet opening atits upstream end in the flow direction for receiving liquid containingforeign bodies therein, so that at least a portion of the liquid passesthrough said holes of said screen leaving foreign bodies deposited onsaid screen, said screen having an outlet opening at its downstream end,means for discharging the foreign bodies separated from the liquid anddeposited on the screen, and barrier means disposed on the outer side ofsaid screen and extending perpendicularly to said screen betweenrespective mutually adjacent rows of the holes in a direction transverseto the direction of flow of the liquid.
 2. Device of claim 1, saidbarrier means being a single flange-like member extending helically overthe entire length of said screen.
 3. Device of claim 1, said dischargemeans comprising a throttle valve rotatably mounted at said inletopening of said screen, said valve being rotatable so as to block theentire pipe conduit, and a discharge conduit connected to said outletopening of said screen for directing the separated foreign bodies awayfrom the pipe conduit.
 4. Device of claim 1, said discharge meanscomprising a throttle valve mounted downstream beyond said outletopening of said screen.
 5. Device of claim 1, inlet means disposedtangentially to the conduit In the region of said inlet opening of saidscreen for admitting flushing liquid to said conduit for looseningforeign bodies lodged on said screen.
 6. Device of claim 1, comprising aring-like conduit for conducting flushing liquid therethrough disposedon the outer side of said screen and formed in several turns insurrounding relation to the surface of said screen, and nozzles in saidring-like conduit for spraying the flushing liquid flowing through thelatter onto said surface of said screen.
 7. Device of claim 1, saiddischarge means comprising a discharge conduit connected to said outletopening of said screen for directing the separated foreign bodies awayfrom the pipe conduit.
 8. Device of claim 7, said discharge meanscomprising a throttle valve mounted in said discharge conduit.